Suspected Chico serial rapist graduated Salinas High

A physician assistant who grew up in Salinas and graduated from Salinas High School was charged with sexually assaulting two women who were forced into vehicles, injected with a substance that made them drowsy and had their hands and feet bound, Chico police said.

Lonnie Scott Keith, 40, of Chico, pleaded not guilty to rape, assault with intent to commit rape, kidnapping and assault on Wednesday. He graduated from Salinas High in 1991 before moving to Chico.

The charges come from two separate sexual assaults that happened near the California State University, Chico campus last September and October, according to the Butte County District Attorney's Office.

The victims were both students in their early 20s and were walking alone in the early morning hours when they were abducted.

Detectives found two syringes containing an unknown clear substance, a stun gun, vials of prescription drugs, rubber gloves, plastic ties and metal handcuffs and restraints inside Keith's sedan after he was arrested over the weekend following a traffic stop near the campus, Chico police said.

The detectives were conducting surveillance in the area following the attacks when they spotted the vehicle.

The vials and metal handcuffs and leg restraints were inside a concealed compartment under the front passenger seat, and windows in the vehicle were partially covered with blankets and bedding, according to police.

Several of the vials contained a substance found in toxicology tests of one of the victims, Lt. Mike O'Brien said. He said the vehicle appeared staged for another assault.

Keith is married and has four children and is employed as a physician assistant at Oroville Medical Center and Enloe Occupational Health, according to police.

Keith's wife released a prepared statement to the media on Thursday.

“My children and I are in shock, and are struggling to deal with this difficult situation. We will continue to appropriately cooperate with authorities, as this situation unfolds," she wrote. "During this ordeal, I have lost my husband and my children have lost their father. Our hearts go out to the victims in these cases as they deal with this difficult process as well. We know this is the beginning of a long journey, and respectfully request our privacy throughout it.”

Physician assistants can function much like doctors. They can conduct physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, assist in surgeries and prescribe medications, according to the American Academy of Physician Assistants.

Keith has no prior arrest record. O'Brien said he's being investigated as a possible suspect in 10 other assaults or attempted assaults in the area going back to 2011 - many of them also involving college-aged women.

The Chico Police Department released this statement on the case:

"Over the past 18 months, multiple incidents involving kidnappings, attempted kidnappings, and/or sexual assaults have occurred in the South Campus area of Chico. The two most recent incidents occurred in September and October of 2012.

During those specific incidents, the male suspect forced the female victims into the back seat area of a dark colored sedan (September incident) or the rear cargo area of a dark colored, larger SUV (October incident). Both victims were then injected with an unknown substance by the suspect. The substance caused a sedating, drowsy like effect for both. At least one of the victims was then sexually assaulted.

One victim described the interior of the suspect vehicle (September incident) as having blankets and/or sheets covering the windows of the rear passenger compartment.

In the October incident, the victim described the rear window of the SUV as being covered to conceal visibility. Additionally, the white male suspect was described as wearing rubber/latex gloves (at least one incident), and had a nylon stocking and/or mask over his face. Both victims had their hands and feet bound with plastic "zip ties", and their eyes covered with tape."

Copyright 2013 by KSBW.com. The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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